


Bourbon and Cherry Lips

by 18au1



Category: SB19 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, First Meetings, Getting to Know Each Other, Hot Sejun, M/M, Mutual Attraction, Mutual Pining, Rich Sejun, Sejun Pursuing Stell, Start of Relationship, Top John Paulo Nase | Sejun, Vester & Pablo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:54:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28736064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18au1/pseuds/18au1
Summary: One night at a party Vester challenged Pablo to tie a cherry stem into a knot using just his tongue.____Inspired by an artwork of Sejun by @cohji2 on Twitter. Go check it out.
Relationships: Stellvester "Stell" Ajero & John Paulo Nase | Sejun, Stellvester "Stell" Ajero/John Paulo Nase | Sejun
Kudos: 16





	Bourbon and Cherry Lips

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StellJun Warriors](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=StellJun+Warriors).



What's with dark corners and parties? I don't get it. People standing around in the dark, not seeing expressions clearly. How do you know if a person is being honest in the dark?

I have no choice though. When a client asks you to come to a party they organize, you go without question.

My best friend is throwing a particularly calm party tonight and the IG stories are making me want to remove my leather jacket and this black button down with a super low neckline (I grabbed whatever I can in a hurry, ok?) and just wear a hoodie and bury myself on my best friend's couch which incidentally is my favorite place on earth. It is that comfy.

In one particularly obnoxious IG story, my friends called me out.

"Vester! We just opened your favorite bottle of wine. Come over!" They said in unison, which they probably practiced a thousand times because it sounded perfectly in sync.

I reacted with an angry face and turned my phone off. I have to focus. Mingle. Because my boss would quiz me tomorrow about the people at this party and I won't have anything to say to her if I sulk.

I walked pass the dance floor and stood atop the stairs, scanning the room for people who may look familiar.

There's that actor who just had a scandal. Ok. Nope. The son of a real estate tycoon flirting mercilessly with the daughter of a conglomerate tycoon. Nuh ah. Not them. And then my eyes zeroed in to someone I haven't seen before.

I know for sure that's a new face, because a face like that is impossible to forget.

His dark almost shoulder length hair parted slightly on the side is a bit messy. Strands of hair falling to his eyes. I squinted and saw that he has particularly almond-shaped eyes. Not exactly narrow, but they sort of ends pointy on either side. They don't appear bored, nor happy. His expression sort of sits in the middle of amused and uninterested.

I reprimanded myself when my eyes fell on his lips touching the rim of a martini glass, which he is holding on its base showing off his slender fingers. His upper lip touched the liquid, he squinted a bit probably tasting the alcohol and when he lets go of the rim, the top of his lips glistened.

The moment I knew I had to turn around was when he smacked his lips together lightly and then darted his tongue out on his bottom lip.

Okay Vester. Not a good idea to approach that one.

I scanned some more people and settled on a group that I already know.

After 30 minutes of talking to them, I went to the bar to sit down. I think I spent all my energy talking to them. And I just want to get out of here. Screw my boss. She would have come if she wants to meet new clients.

"One old fashioned please." I said to the bartender while leaning on the bar.

"Nice choice." A thick husky voice said from my left.

I turned my head and almost choked on my own saliva when I saw who that voice is coming from. Oh god. Anyone but this guy.

"Thanks." I said casually while trying hard to avoid his gaze.

The bartender placed the bourbon with a cherry infront of me.

"Cheers." That raspy voice again. I glanced to see him raising his own glass of old fashioned at me, swirling it a bit.

"Cheers." I said nonchalantly before I brought my attention back to the bartender.

"Can I get another cherry please?" I asked. The bartend nodded and picked up a cherry stem with a thong and dropped it on my drink.

"I take mine with 2 cherries too. It's just sweeter that way."

I nodded at him as he unceremoniously held out his hand to me. "Pablo." He said while waiting for me to shake his hand.

It's a party with important people, so even if I don't know him yet, he must be someone particularly important too. And in my work, you don't burn bridges. Thank God, because I've been wondering how his hand would feel like. Damn it.

"Vester." And I was right. There's nothing soft about that hand except how it looks. His fingertips are a bit callous, a sign of someone who plays a guitar. Don't ask me why I know. I just do.

If I felt anything, I'm just lucky that I'm in the PR business because I know how to keep my cool.

"So, Vester, what brings you here?" His casualness is disarming. Like you just want to tell him anything and everything.

"Work stuff. You?"

"Hmm. My dad kind of told me, you own this place now, so you have to be there."

I want to laugh at how his voice changed, probably imitating someone. But then the revelation that this guy is sort of my client makes me want to punch myself.

I straightened my back automatically and he noticed.

"Don't worry, my dad still shoulders the bill. I'm not the boss around here. Just a glorified stand in." He smirked. Making me think there is something more to that statement.

"You don't like it? Owning this place?" I asked before sipping on my bourbon, the cherry bumping into my lip.

"I guess I have no choice." And then he imitates someone who is probably his dad, again. "You either stay here watch this place or go back to the states for your masteral."

"Hmm, wouldn't you want to get your masteral instead? I mean I would."

"This is probably why you have a job and why I am a glorified mascot." He chuckled a little, sipping from his own glass. "I hate studying. Hate it."

"But don't you have to study to run this place?"

"Probably. But I kinda think experience is the best teacher. For everything. Don't you think so?"

He blinked. Or was that a wink? A one-eyed blink? A one-eyed blink is a wink? What the hell is this guy up to? Is he freaking flirting with me? Nope. This is our client.

I looked away rather too quickly and I heard him "tschh" at me. Or not at me. But he just did. What is this? A conquest. I have to get out of here.

I picked up my glass, leaving beads of sweat on the counter, as the ice melts. We've been chatting a while and not of simple things.

"Leaving so soon?" He asked. I can hear the ice cubes banging the side of the glass as he sips. He fished out a cherry and popped it into his mouth, rolling it off his tongue before pulling the stem and tossing it to the counter.

If I am not trained for this shit, I would panic and run away.

"I guess. It's getting late."

He flips his wrist to look at his watch. "You Cinderella or something? It's 2 minutes til midnight." He looked down and I wonder what he's thinking. "You're wearing boots, and those laces are too tight. You won't be able to leave a shoe for me. So, can you stay for a while instead? So I won't have to scour the town for you?"

"Are you kidding?" I laughed.

"No."

"People really say things like this?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" He said.

"Ok, why should I stay?" I said feeling confident. I don't think being too timid works for this guy.

"To talk?" He said. A question. But also a statement.

"About?"

"Anything. I kinda like talking to you."

I have to applaud him for being honest without sounding too arrogant. Must be his superpower. Because his looks alone would bring people to their knees quite literally, but his words and tone are really sincere.

So I stayed. My stupid self stayed despite all the reasoning.

People have been coming over to say hi to him all throughout our conversation. And he sort of dismissed them all politely after saying hi to them then bringing back his full attention to me each time.

The crowd died down a bit after a while. How long have we been talking? How many old fashioned have we consumed? Shit. This is not good.

I'm still thinking straight thank goodness, but in that span of time, his raspy voice kind of softened and I can't explain why.

If people can get to know each other better in just a bottle of bourbon, the world will be a better place. Because here's a guy who came as a surprise. The dark corners of this bar doesn't seem so dark anymore. And yes, I can say that you can tell if a person is being honest even if it's dim. Their voice and demeanor gives it away.

We purposefully got close literally with just a bottle of bourbon and it blows my mind how this could happen.

"Last round?" I asked. "I need to get to my friend's place."

"What's there?" He asked, his eyes boring into my soul.

"A party?"

"At this time?"

"And the comfiest couch in the planet."

"I have a comfy couch." He said without even a hesitation.

"Pablo, if I'm not thinking straight, I would think you're inviting me to your place."

"And what if I am, Vester?"

I drank the last drop of my bourbon, chugging the cherry with it. I pulled the stem and dropped it on the glass.

"You know. They said someone is a good kisser when they tie a knot with a cherry stem. With just their tongue." He said while drinking the last drop of his drink and popping the cherry into his mouth. His mouth hanging a bit open to probably prove something.

"I bet you can't tie a knot with that cherry stem using just your tongue." 

What. The. Fuck. Am. I. Challenging. Him. For?

He closed his mouth and smiled at me casually. Something's happening in there. I just know when I saw a glint of spark in his eye.

One side of his lip curved up into a smirk. And then he opens his mouth with a perfectly tied cherry stem on the tip of his tongue.

"Damn." I hissed under my breath.

"Guess I just need to prove one more thing now." His voice is sounding extra confident.

"What's that?"

"That it can be done to someone and not just to something."

I swallowed hard as he comes close to me.

"I don't want to sound like a thirsty creep, but I really like you." His voice is annoyingly honest.

"So?" I say almost breathlessly.

"Night cap? My place." He said with that fucking sincerity again.

It took a minute of awkward silence before I answered. "Yeah sure. Night cap."

We both stood up and he kind of held my hand as we weave through the remaining crowd.

I felt my phone ring in my pocket. I hesitantly fished for it and saw my bestfriend's name on the caller ID.

"Hey, you're still coming over. I kind of need to sleep."

He glanced back at me as he pulls me by the hand and we stared at each other with a hint of familiarity.

"Uhm, that's okay, I won't need your couch tonight. Bye!"


End file.
